Rayford Steele
Rayford Steele is a fictional character and the de facto protagonist in the Left Behind series of novels by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. He is the leader of the group known as the Tribulation Force, and is the most elaborated character in the series. However in the film series he is condsidered the second main character. Fictional Biography Early Life and Marriage Rayford was born 42 years before the Rapture in Belvidere, Illinois, to working-class parents. While growing up, Rayford is embarrassed by his family's low socioeconomic status and his parents' relative old age, and he makes it his goal to attend university and become either a professional athlete or a pilot. Rayford was an amazing athlete, even at the age of 9, since he was the best in his school's soccer league, the top scorer, and one of the best defenders, all of which lead him to dominate the field. Still, he disliked soccer, since Rayford considered it to be for too little result, and he could not stand watching soccer on TV. Thus, he only kept playing in order to stay in shape for his favorite sports: football, basketball, and baseball, in which he also excelled. Rayford was also tall for his age, and, through his uncommon speed and endurance, could easily outrun anyone his age in school. Rayford was excellent in both distance and sprinting races, which prompted his impressed coach to call him a "beautiful athlete." He was also quite smart for his age, and excelled in all subjects, though he particularly loved math and sceince. Rayford eventually obtains an Air Force ROTC scholarship to attend Purdue University; while there, he meets a fellow ROTC cadet two years his junior, Irene. They fall in love and marry in the spring of his senior year, and just a year later, his daughter Chloe is born. Over the next several years, he leaves the Air Force and begins working as a pilot for Pan-Continental Airlines; when he is thirty, he and Irene unexpectedly have a son, Raymie. Though raised in a churchgoing family, Rayford cannot conceive of “faith” being anything more than attending church, trying to be a good person, and helping one another, nor can he imagine what is meant by a "personal relationship" with Christ. Three years after Raymie is born, Rayford has a brush with death when he nearly collides with another airplane while landing at LAX, and he impulsively promises God that he will go to church and pray more regularly; on the same night, Irene, after talking to a neighborhood friend, becomes a born-again Christian. They are soon at odds over her new found faith and he reneges on his promises to God. Though his job at Pan-Con enables him to afford a large house and expensive cars, he finds that these material things do not bring him the satisfaction he had expected, and he increasingly withdraws into himself, sullen at Irene’s constant pushing him to "receive Jesus as his Savior." As a father, he is pleased with Chloe’s questioning, independent streak, and though he loves Raymie, he is dissatisfied with what he perceives as the boy’s soft and overly compassionate nature – as well as the enthusiasm he shares with Irene for everything church-related. The Rapture By the time of the Rapture, Rayford is a self-described (afterward) “negligent father and lustful husband with a roving eye,” on the verge of an affair with his senior flight attendant, Hattie Durham. He is piloting an overnight flight to London when the Rapture happens, and in the ensuing chaos, he returns home to find – as he feared – that Irene and Raymie are among the missing, for his wife had often told him how she anticipated Jesus “calling his people home.” In desperation, he goes to Irene’s church, New Hope Village Church, to find only one member of the staff left – the visitation pastor, Bruce Barnes, who has already realized his error and urges Rayford to “receive Christ” as well. While watching a pre-made videotape left by the Raptured pastor of the church, Rayford finally acknowledges his sinfulness and accepts Christ as his Savior. He is thrilled when Chloe soon does the same, and together under Barnes's tutelage, they form the Tribulation Force to face the travails of the next seven years and to counter the plans of the Antichrist, who is soon revealed to be the new head of the United Nations, Nicolae Carpathia. During this time, celebrated journalist and fellow Trib Force member Cameron "Buck" Williams becomes Rayford's son-in-law when he meets and marries Chloe. The Tribulation Through a bizarre set of circumstances, Rayford becomes Carpathia's personal pilot, and he marries Amanda White, takes over as the leader of the Tribulation Force after Barnes dies in World War III, and moves to New Babylon, the seat of Carpathia's new world government. While his wife, Amanda, flies to New Babylon, the Wrath Of The Lamb earthquake occurs. He later finds her body in a plane submerged in the Tigris River. Carpathia's operatives attempt to discredit Amanda by planting false evidence that she was a mole for Nicolae's regime but Rayford sees through the subterfuge. After a botched plan in Denver, Colorado, Rayford is looked on with suspicion by the Global Community. During an assignment in Jerusalem, his co-pilot and friend that he led to Christ Mac McCullum tells him to flee. Rayford catches a ride with Christian charter pilot Ken Ritz back to the new Tribulation Force safe house near Chicago. Meanwhile, Chloe gives birth to Rayford's grandson, Kenny Bruce Williams. Filled with rage over so many losses, Rayford soon dreams to be the one who will kill Carpathia, and goes as far as buying the Saber gun from Albie just to do it. During the Global Gala week of festivities in Jerusalem, he places himself during Carpathia's speech and, as he readies his weapon, he chokes, unable to go through with his plan. Although the weapon goes off by mistake, it misses Carpathia, giving the real murderer, former Carpathia loyalist Chaim Rosenzweig, time to do the job himself. Rayford flees amidst the chaos, and escapes to Greece, where he is housed by local believers. With the advice of a Greek pastor named Demetrius Demeter, Rayford comes to terms with his rageful emotions and expresses regret to God for his selfishness. This helps him ready himself to become a better leader as the Great Tribulation is ushered in with the resurrection of Carpathia, indwelt by the spirit of Satan himself. The system of the Mark of the Beast is established soon after this, and believers all over the world must go into hiding or face execution. Rayford organizes and helps leads Operation Eagle, a mass exodus of believers, especially Jews, to the stone city of Petra, which God promised to protect during the Great Tribulation. This enrages Carpathia, who orders the city to be bombed. However, when the bombs hit the city, the explosion has no effect on the city or its inhabitants, reminiscent of the Biblical story of the three Jews in the fiery furnace. In the months leading up to the Glorious Appearing, several Trib Force members are martyred, including Chloe and Buck. During the battle of Armageddon, Rayford is critically wounded by a stray GC missile. He is the only original surviving member of the Tribulation Force left when Jesus Christ returns to the earth, whose very presence heals Rayford's wounds. After slaying the GC Unity Army and banishing both Antichrist and his False Prophet to the Lake of Fire, Jesus welcomes all the saints who were raptured or martyred back to earth. The Tribulation is over and Rayford happily reunites with his friends and family. In tears of joy, he tells his wife Irene that she is allowed "one cosmic I-Told-You-So". The Millennium In the Millennial Kingdom, Rayford and Irene lead a missionary trip to Egypt to share the gospel with the undecideds. During the trip, he is captured by a pocket of resistance calling itself The Other Light, a Luciferian organization that is in rebellion against Christ. While incarcerated, Rayford helps lead a young woman in TOL named Rehema to salvation. Hours later, an angel appears inside the prison and leads the captives to freedom. As a natural, Rayford slowly ages over the course of the Millennium, becoming a weakened old man. Over time, he becomes a great-grandfather of more than a hundred times over through Kenny Bruce and Ekaterina Risto. Near the end of the Millennium, he and the rest of the Tribulation Force gather for Mac's thousandth birthday party. Rayford is present at the final battle of the Millennium, watching with the rest of his friends from Cameron's estate. Jesus destroys the armies of Satan and spirits the entire human race into the heavens for the Great White Thronne Judgement. Rayford and the rest of the believers are then welcomed into the "new heavens and new earth" where they will spend a glorious eternity with Jesus. Trivia *In the film Left Behind: The Movie and its sequels, Rayford is portrayed by actor and model Brad Johnson. *In the 2014 LEFT BEHIND movie, Rayford is portrayed by Nicholas Cage, and the character's family lives on Long Island, New York instead of the suburbs of Chicago. Nicolas Cage prefers to keep his spiritual feelings to himself, but has never denounced the teachings regarding the End of Days. *When the Dramatic Audio Series was proposed to Tyndale, it was Roger Mueller who provided the voice of Rayford on the 10 minute demo. Roger eventually played Rayford's nemesis Nicolae Carpathia in the production. Tom McElroy won the role of Rayford with his incredible audition performance of the scene where Rayford returns home to confirm that Irene is in fact gone. *Rayford is one of only two characters that appeared in Left Behind ''to survive to the Glorious Appearing, the other character being Lionel Washington. Gallery Bradcard-lrg.jpg|Rayford Steele as he appears in ''Left Behind: The Movie. Category:Characters Category:Left Behind: The Kids Character Category:Pilots Category:Military Category:Tribulation Saints Category:Naturals Category:New Hope Village Church members Category:Steele family members Category:Petra residents Category:New Babylon residents Category:Patients Category:Married Category:Widowed Category:Male Category:Americans Category:Serial marriage characters